5:13 AM,
Apr. 4, 2013

The Borgias: The Second Season (2012, Showtime, not rated, $55; Blu-ray, $66) is just out on home video.
Paramount

Written by

Steve Jones, USA TODAY

It's rare that an entertainment program can cause genuine real-world angst just by being on the air, but Showtime's The Borgias did just that earlier this month. An Italian TV network was criticized for airing the show about a corrupt 15th-century pope while the papal conclave called in the wake of the unexpected resignation of Pope Benedict XVI was taking place at the Vatican.

A Catholic viewers' advocacy group expressed concern about the timing, but the network had already scheduled the show and it pulled in strong ratings. That has been a consistent story for the salacious Italian ...